Progressive Revelation

Progressive Revelation recognises that those sections of the Bible that were written later contain a fuller revelation of God, or from God, than the earlier sections. It helps our understanding of Scripture if we recognise that the things God revealed in Scripture were not all given at once, but were given in stages … and it helps if we note when those stages took place.

Slowly, more and more is revealed about the character of God, and more and more is revealed about His plan and purpose for this world. At times something very new is revealed, and at other times something changes.

Progressive Revelation pays special attention to such occasions and notes that we should not read back into earlier Scriptures such new revelations or changes. If we do so, we are in danger of misinterpreting those earlier Scriptures and misunderstanding what God was doing in earlier times.